2004 Nissan Sentra Engine

ON 6/10/11 WHILE I WAS DRIVING MY 2004 NISSAN SENTRA 1.8L, THE SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND THE CAR LOST POWER. I COULD NOT GO NO FASTER THAN 30 MPH. I PULLED OVER AND HAD MY CAR TOWED TO THE LOCAL DEALER. THEY SAID THAT THE HEAD GASKET WAS LEAKING INTERNALLY INTO THE #3 CYLINDER AND THAT THE SPARK PLUGS WERE UNREMOVABLE. THEY SAID THAT ONE OF SPARK PLUGS WERE FUSED INSIDE THE CYLINDER. THE SPARK PLUGS WERE REPLACED AT THE SAME DEALER IN APRIL 2010. AT A COST OF $1002.08 THEY REPLACED THE CYLINDER HEAD GASKET AND VALVE COVER GASKET. I COULD NOT AFFORD THE EXTRA $800.00 TO FIX THE SPARK PLUG PROBLEM. THERE WAS NO WARNING BEFORE THIS HAPPENED OTHER THAN THE SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT COMING ON AT THE SAME TIME THE CAR LOST POWER. I WAS DRIVING ON A STATE HIGHWAY GOING 55 MPH WHEN THIS HAPPENED. I HAVE READ ON HERE SEVERAL COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE HEAD GASKET PROBLEM AND CARS LOSING POWER. MY SENTRA HAS 128,900 MILES ON IT WHEN THE PROBLEM OCCURRED. I KEEP MY OIL CHANGED EVERY 3 MONTHS AND KEEP UP WITH THE GENERAL MAINTENANCE ON MY CAR. SINCE THIS HAPPENED ALL OF A SUDDEN I DO BELIEVE THERE IS A SAFETY ISSUE HERE. IF I HAD BEEN IN THE INTERSTATE (WHICH I WOULD HAVE BEEN IF THIS HAPPENED 20 MILES LATER) I WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO PULL OVER OR AVOID AN ACCIDENT. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 NISSAN SENTRA. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING 30 MPH WHEN THE VEHICLE STALLED ABNORMALLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING WHERE THE MECHANIC LOCATED THE FAILURE AT THE CRANK SHAFT POSITION SENSOR. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED IN REGARDS TO NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 06V242000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING) BUT WAS ADVISED THAT HIS VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 92,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 92,700.

CAR ENGINE STALLS WHILE RUNNING.. IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT SPEED I AM DRIVING, THE CAR WILL JUST SHUT OFF AND I LOSE POWER STEERING. LUCKILY THE BRAKES STILL WORK SO I WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER. ONCE PULLED OVER I TURN THE KEY OFF AND START THE CAR BACK UP AGAIN AND IT WORKS FINE. THIS HAS HAPPENED A REPEATED NUMBER OF TIMES. I AM SURE IT IS THE THROTTLE POSITION SENSOR OR ECM LIKE THE 2006 RECALL OF THE ALTIMA'S AND SENTRAS. *TR

2004 NISSAN SENTRA 1.8L BLEW HEAD GASKET, CYLINDER 3 AT 77000 MILES. ENGINE WAS WELL MAINTAINED AND NEVER OVERHEATED. DUE TO VAST NUMBER OF SIMILAR COMPLAINTS ON THE INTERNET SUSPECT A DEFECTIVE HEAD GASKET WAS THE CAUSE. CAN BE A SAFETY ISSUE AS ENGINE RUNS ON 3 CYLINDERS THUS LOW POWER. REPAIR COST WAS $1200. OPENED A CASE WITH NISSAN FOR ASSISTANCE AND ABSOLUTELY NONE WAS OFFERED. I HAVE NEVER HAD A HEAD GASKET FAILURE ON A VEHICLE AND EVEN HAD ONE VW RUNNING 300+ MILES WITH NO HEAD GASKET ISSUES. NISSAN THUS FAR HAS BEEN SUCCESSFUL IN NOT ACCEPTING RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE GASKET DEFECT, A TYPICAL PATTERN OF AUTO MANUFACTURERS. I AM REQUESTING THAT THE NHTSA INVESTIGATE THIS COSTLY AND POTENTIALLY SAFETY RELATED DEFECT AND REQUIRE THAT NISSAN ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY AND PROVIDE REMEDIATION FOR ITS CUSTOMERS. *TR

WHILE DRIVING MY 2004 NISSAN SENTRA (1.8 LITER 4 CYL FUEL INJECTED) AT LOW SPEEDS IT HAS STOPPED RUNNING WITH NO WARNING. THIS HAS HAPPENED 5 TIMES OVER THE LAST 5 MONTHS, WITH THE LAST THREE TIMES HAPPENING IN THE LAST TWO DAYS. OBVIOUSLY THIS IS A DANGEROUS SITUATION. WHEN IT'S HAPPENED I'VE TURNED OFF THE CAR AND WAITED A FEW MINUTES. IF I START THE CAR TOO QUICKLY THE PROBLEM IMMEDIATELY RESURFACES. THERE IS A RECALL FOR THIS EXACT PROBLEM FOR THE 2004 NISSAN SENTRA WITH A 2.5 LITER ENGINE. THE SAME PROBLEM ALSO OCCURRED IN A FRIEND'S CAR LAST YEAR WHO HAS THE EXACT SAME CAR, BOUGHT AT THE SAME DEALERSHIP, AS MINE. *TR

AT 65MPH THE ENGINE SHUTOFF. AFTER THAT INCIDENT THE ENGINE SHUTS DOWN FREQUENTLY AND ONLY STARTS AFTER 10MIN APPROX AFTER REPEATED ENGINE CRANKING. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 NISSAN SENTRA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 20 MPH, THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO JERK AND SUDDENLY STALLED. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO MANEUVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND RESTART THE VEHICLE AFTER SEVERAL MINUTES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL REPAIR SHOP WHERE THE BATTERY WAS REPLACED; THE REPAIR DID NOT CORRECT THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS THEN TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALERSHIP WHERE THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE CRANKSHAFT WAS DEFECTIVE AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE CONTACT WAS ALSO INFORMED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN RECALL 06V242000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING). THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED AT THE TIME OF THE COMPLAINT. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE APPROXIMATELY 72,000.

2004 NISSAN SENTRA 1.8 I JUST HIT 2 YEARS WITH THIS CAR AND STILL HAVE ANOTHER 2 YEARS. CAR DOES NOT START ON FIRST TRY. IT OVER HEATS,IT DIES WHILE IN USE,RECENTLY IT STARTED JERKING REALLY BAD AND RPM SHOT TO 4,000 AND WOULDN'T GO PAST 20MPH. I ALREADY HAD A NEW FUEL PUMP PUT IN AND A NEW CRANKSHAFT SENSOR AND NEW SPARK PLUGS. I JUST FOUND OUT IT HAS A BLOWN HEAD GASKET. I CANT AFFORD THIS IM A SINGLE MOTHER OF 3. RACK IN PINION NEEDS TO BE REPLACED EVEN THE MASS AIR FLOW. WHO KNOWS WHAT ELSE? *TR

SAME AS 06V242000, BUT WITH NISSAN SENTRA 1.8 (2004). ENGINE SHUTS OFF SUDDENLY, RENDERING POWER STEERING AND ENGINE DEAD, FREQUENTLY AT HIGH SPEEDS. VERY DANGEROUS, BUT DEALERSHIP SAY NOT PART OF NISSAN RECALL 06V242000, SO DRIVER MUST PAY FOR REPAIR. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 NISSAN SENTRA. WHILE THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING 55MPH, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL MECHANIC WHERE THE CONTACT HAD THE CRANK SENSOR REPLACED. THE WERE NO PRIOR WARNINGS AND THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 60000. THE CRANK SENSOR WAS FAULTY. UPDATED 09/21/10

MY 2004 NISSAN SENTRA 1.8 HAS BEEN TOWED 3 TIMES IN THE PAST 6 MONTHS. IT HAS A BLOWN HEAD GASKET. THIS IS APPARENTLY A MANUFACTURER'S DEFECT AS I HAVE SEEN 30 COMPLAINTS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. *TR

MY 2004 NISSAN SENTRA ENGINE WOULD CUT OFF WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS. THIS WOULD CAUSE ME TO ALMOST GET INTO A CRASH ON THE HIGHWAY. MINE IS A 1.8 LITER ENGINE, AND THE RECALL WAS FOR THE 2.5 LITER ENGINE, AND JUST AS MANY 1.8'S HAVE BEEN HAVING THIS PROBLEM. HAD TO PAY $200 OUT OF POCKET TO FIX THIS. THEN AFTER I GET THE CAR FIXED, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WILL NOT COME OFF, AND THE MECHANIC SAYS, NO CODE IS COMING UP FOR ANYTHING. I AM SCARED TO DEATH TO DRIVE MY CAR. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 NISSAN SENTRA. WHENEVER THE CONTACT DROVE THE VEHICLE AT ANY SPEED INCLUDING APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY SHUT OFF. THE CONTACT ALSO NOTICED THAT THE VEHICLE STALLED OCCASIONALLY. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED BY THE DEALER. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 111000.

MOTOR STOPS WHILE DRIVING. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 NISSAN SENTRA. WHILE DRIVING 15 MPH, ALL OF THE WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT CONTROL PANEL, THEN SHE EXPERIENCED DIFFICULTY STEERING AND BRAKING. SHE WAS ABLE TO RESUME NORMAL VEHICLE OPERATION. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL REPAIR FACILITY AND THE MECHANIC CONCLUDED THAT THE CRANKSHAFT POSITION SENSOR FAILED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED IN REFERENCE TO RECALL # 06V247000(ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING); HOWEVER, SINCE SHE DOES NOT HAVE A 2.5L ENGINE, SHE WAS INELIGIBLE FOR A FREE REMEDY. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE APPROXIMATELY 63,000.

ENGINE SHUTS OFF WHILE DRIVING. STARTED A MONTH AGO, HAS BEEN HAPPENING ONCE A WEEK BUT GETTING MORE FREQUENT. WAS TOLD IT WAS THE CRANKSHAFT SENSOR. THERE IS A RECALL ON THE 2.5L NOT THE 1.8L THAT I OWN. *TR

(SE-R SPEC V) NUMEROUS INSTANCES OF ENGINE MISFIRE, USUALLY OCCURRING ON THROTTLE TIP-IN AFTER A TIP-OUT FROM CRUISE CONDITIONS. DURATION OF MISFIRE ANYWHERE FROM 5S TO 5 MINUTES. KEY-OFF, KEY-ON SOMETIMES RECTIFIES THE MISFIRE. DIAGNOSTIC CODE OF MULTIPLE CYLINDER MISFIRES. HAS ALSO RARELY OCCURRED IMMEDIATELY AFTER ENGINE START. VEHICLE HAS HAD ECU REPROGRAM RECALL PERFORMED. VEHICLE UNABLE TO ACCELERATE WHEN MISFIRE OCCURS AT LOW ENGINE SPEED. MISFIRE EVENT CAN OCCUR MULTIPLE TIMES IN A WEEK, OR NONE FOR SIX MONTHS. FAILURE IS SO INTERMITTENT AND NON-REPEATABLE THAT NO EFFECT TROUBLESHOOTING CAN BE PERFORMED. *TR

FOR THE PAST FOUR YEARS, I HAVE BEEN HAVING A RECURRING PROBLEM WITH MY 2004 NISSAN SENTRA. SUDDENLY AND WITHOUT WARNING, THE ENGINE STOPS WORKING AND SIMPLY FAILS WHILE I AM DRIVING. SEVERAL TIMES, IT HAS HAPPENED WHEN I AM DRIVING ON BUSY ROADS AND THE HIGHWAY. MOST OF THE TIME, IT HAS HAPPENED WHILE I AM DRIVING IN AND OUT OF PARKING LOTS, AT LOW SPEEDS. I HAVE TAKEN THE CAR TO NISSAN SERVICE STATIONS IN BOTH CALIFORNIA AND OREGON, BUT THE PROBLEM CONTINUES TO OCCUR. THE COMPUTER CHIP HAS BEEN REPLACED SEVERAL TIMES AND IN AUGUST 2009, THE COMPUTER WAS REPLACED. HOWEVER, IT HAPPENED AGAIN. NISSAN SAID THAT ALL WAS FINE, BUT AGAIN LAST WEEK ON FRIDAY OCT 2ND THE PROBLEM HAPPENED. THE CAR OVERHEATED AND HAD TO BE TOWED TO BEAVERTON NISSAN (OREGON). THEY ARE REPLACING THE WIRES TO THE COMPUTER, BUT I THINK THAT THERE IS A MANUFACTURING DEFECT WITH THIS CAR. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 NISSAN SENTRA. WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH, THE VEHICLE LOST POWER WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT PULLED THE VEHICLE OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND RESTARTED IT AFTER THREE MINUTES. HE DROVE THE VEHICLE TO HIS RESIDENCE, WHICH WAS LOCATED ONLY ONE MILE AWAY. HE ATTEMPTED TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURE, BUT COULD NOT. THE SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT AND OTHER LIGHTS ILLUMINATED AS SOON AS THE VEHICLE SHUT OFF. THE DEALER STATED THAT IT WOULD COST $100 TO DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE, $100 TO ORDER THE PART, AND $240 FOR LABOR. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AUTO ZONE AND THE REPRESENTATIVE STATED THAT THE SENSOR FAILED. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 06V242000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING), ALTHOUGH THE SYMPTOMS WERE IDENTICAL. THE VEHICLE WILL HAVE TO BE REPAIRED AT THE CONTACT'S EXPENSE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 61,708.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 NISSAN SENTRA. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 70 MPH, THERE WAS NO RESPONSE WHEN THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED. THE DRIVER WAS ABLE TO COAST THE VEHICLE TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE WAS CALLED TO THE SCENE AND THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR INSPECTION. THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THE FAILURE WAS CONTRIBUTED TO A SENSOR IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. THE VIN WAS EXCLUDED FROM NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 06V242000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING), ALTHOUGH THE FAILURES WERE IDENTICAL. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 73,360 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 100,000.\ UPDATED 07/30/09.*JB

AT FIRST MY CAR WAS HESITATING WHILE I WAS DRIVING AND THEN THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. I WAS HAVING TROUBLE STARTING IT AND IT WOULD STALL OCCASIONALLY. I TOOK IT TO A SHOP AND THE PROBLEM WAS RESOLVED FOR A FEW WEEKS. TODAY MY CAR STALLED TWICE IN ONE MINUTE AND WOULD NOT START BACK UP. I MANAGED TO PULL IT INTO A PARKING SPACE AT WORK AND I TRIED TO START IT AGAIN IN THE AFTERNOON. I TOOK A FEW TRIES AND THEN IT STALLED WHEN I TRIED TO BACK OUT. MY CAR WAS SHAKING AND IT HAD A BAD SMELL. I DECIDED TO PARK IT AND I WILL HAVE IT TOWED TO A SHOP TOMORROW. *TR

I WAS DRIVING ON A CITY ROAD AROUND 40 MILES PER HOUR. IT STOPPED WHILE I WAS DRIVING. THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON IMMEDIATELY, THEN ALL WARNING LIGHTS. IT WOULD NOT IMMEDIATELY START, HAD TO LEAVE IN THE TURN LANE WITH FLASHERS ON. WE CAME BACK AN HOUR LATER, AND IT STARTED THEN. THE VEHICLE IS AN 04 SENTRA 1.8 S. AFTER READING ON THE INTERNET ABOUT RECALLS, WE CALLED THE COMPANY, AND THEY INFORMED US THERE WERE NO RECALLS ON OUR PARTICULAR VIN NUMBER. BUT THE PART REPLACED AT OUR SHOP WAS THE CRANKSHAFT POSITION SENSOR, THE SAME PART THAT WAS RECALLED. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 NISSAN SENTRA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER FAILED AND WAS REPLACED BY THE DEALER. EVER SINCE THE CONVERTER WAS CHANGED, THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN DRAINING THE OIL AND SUCKING DEBRIS INTO THE MOTOR. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN A RECALL. THE CONTACT WANTS NISSAN TO PAY FOR THE REPAIRS SINCE THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND THERE IS ALREADY A RECALL FOR THE IDENTICAL FAILURE. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 72,000 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 71,638.

ONE DAY MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. I OWN AN OBD2 DIAGNOSTIC READER AND IT GAVE ME THE CODE P0335 WHICH TRANSLATES TO CRANKSHAFT POSITION SENSOR A CIRCUIT MALFUNCTION. I DID SOME RESEARCH AND THERE WAS A RECALL ON THE 2002 AND 2003, AND LATER INCLUDED SOME 2004 MODELS OF MY CAR (MINE IS A 2004) FOR THE SAME FAILURE. I CALLED NISSAN AND THEY LOOKED UP MY VIN NUMBER AND TOLD ME THERE WAS NO OPEN RECALLS FOR MY CAR. I PURCHASED A NEW SENSOR AND INSTALLED IT, CLEARED THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT, AND CHECKED FOR ANY REMAINING CODES. NONE WERE PRESENT. I TESTED THE OLD SENSOR ACCORDING TO THE NISSAN REPAIR MANUAL'S METHOD AND IT TESTED GOOD. A DAY AFTER I REPLACED THE SENSOR THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN WITH THE SAME FAILURE CODE. I CALLED NISSAN AGAIN AND EXPLAINED MY SITUATION TO THEM AND THEY STILL TOLD ME MY CAR WAS NOT IN THE RECALL. SO FAR WHAT I HAVE EXPERIENCED IS A MOMENTARY LOSS OF POWER UNDER CERTAIN DRIVING CONDITIONS LIKE GOING UPHILL AT APPROXIMATELY 2000 RPM. ALSO IT DOES NOT WANT TO START SOMETIMES, WHICH IS BECOMING MORE FREQUENTLY, AND ACCORDING TO FORUM SITES I'VE VISITED IS DIRECTLY RELATED TO THIS. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 NISSAN SENTRA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD IDLE AND LOSE POWER FREQUENTLY WHILE DRIVING LESS THAN 75 MPH. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP AND THEY DISCOVERED METAL PIECES UNDER SPARK PLUG NUMBER 1. THE MECHANIC REMOVED AND REPLACED SPARK PLUG NUMBER 1; HOWEVER, THE FAILURE PERSISTED AND HAS BEEN TO THE DEALER. ON A SEPARATE OCCASION, THE VEHICLE WOULD STALL. AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC REMOVED THE INTAKE MANIFOLD AND FOUND EVEN MORE METAL PIECES IN THE ENGINE FROM THE POWER VALVE. TWO OF THE POWER VALVES WERE IRREGULARLY SHAPED AND WERE BROKEN OFF INTO THE ENGINE. THE FAILURE HAS NOT BEEN REMEDIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 69,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 70,000. UPDATED 01/14/09. *LJ UPDATED 01/15/09.*JB